Abstract
What do you know about the thoughts and feelings of the executives in your firm? If you think it is none of your business, think again. Your executives experience a constant flow of emotions, perceptions, and motivations which are major drivers behind their actions and decisions. Executives' inner lives can turn strategic leaders into disproportional risktakers, thoughtful decision makers into unethical, self-focused power players, or accomplished company officers into unpredictable time bombs. Responsible HR-managers, corporate governance officers, regulators, corporate risk managers as well as executives themselves should be aware of the inner life mechanisms underlying executives' behaviour. The following book chapter provides a perspective on "Senior Executives as Risk Factors".